On the subject of the Blitz i came across this account of the bombing of HMS Sussex sunk on the Clyde in 1940
Sinking of HMS Sussex, 1940
Posted on September 27, 2005 at 08:47:09 PM by Sam
A couple of years back there was an exchange of postings here concerning the sinking of HMS Sussex during the war at Yorkhill Quay across the water from Harlands' yard in Govan. The article shown here was written by Peter Petts (
[email protected]) and obtained from the website 'ourglasgowstory' (there are actually two postings dealing with this sinking). Peter's article is very interesting and may be of interest to some other Govan people.
H.M.S. Sussex, September 1940
The early morning of 18 September 1940 is a time I shall always remember. I was a 19 year old R.N. Able Seaman and had been onboard H.M.S. Sussex since October 1938. I therefore knew pretty well every part of the ship.
"Sussex" was in Glasgow being prepared for Murmansk Convoy Duty and was having last minute repairs in the engine room. A few deck plates had been removed to allow access, and a bomb dropped right through that hole.
It went through the lower and platform decks and burst in the engine room near oil fuel tanks. Four members of the crew were killed, and twelve others died later of wounds. The lower deck at that point was destroyed, fire and bilge pumps were put out of action, the fuel tanks caught fire and flames were soon spreading fore and aft. But the worst part was the fact that all the magazines were full of ammunition, torpedoes, shells and depth charges, as well as eight torpedoes in the tubes on the upper deck. If the fire reached the magazines, a large part of Glasgow would have been threatend with death and destruction.
The crew that was on board that night started to fight the fire, but due to the lack of the fire and bilge pumps as well as the thick black oil fuel smoke, we were struggling. However, the Fire Brigade soon arrived and we, the Navy lads, were glad to have some help. We got more than that. They took over and soon had pumps going and water being sprayed just where it was required in the fire.
I was ordered to help the firemen by guiding them around the ship and assisting with the hoses. It was a long, dirty and scary night. The plates were buckling with the intense heat and black slippery oil was everywhere.
Quite a few, including Navy men, were sent to the Western Infirmary with severe burns; and it was then noticed that the torpedoes in the tubes were getting very hot and would probably explode with the heat. Although we tried to pull them out it was a hopeless task, and all we could do was to spray them with water to keep them cool!
It was then that the Fire Chief called for the Vehicle Ferry to be used as a fireboat, and they manned it with fire engines. She arrived about 5.30 a.m. on the 19th, and soon had sixteen powerful water jets playing on the "Sussex".
It was not until the 19th, 23 hours after the bomb had hit, that the fire was brought under control and the ship was sunk alongside the wall so that she was flooded to extinguish the blaze and prevent any explosion of the ammunition.
I believe it was in the early hours of the morning that some of the tenements and a Children's Hospital were evacuated, but strange to tell, the story of the "Sussex" being nearly destroyed in the heart of Glasgow was kept secret 'til long after the war had ended. Even we Navy Lads were told "not to discuss it", so we didn't.
The bit that amused me most was that when we were returned to Chatham Naval Barracks we were given "7 days Survivors leave" having lost our ship while she was tied up alongside in Fairfield's Yard!!
I do remember a Salvation Army man that came and set up a mobile canteen on the quay and was handing out cups of tea and beef extract not too far from the ship even though the fire was raging. I believe the poor chap was killed shortly after in a road accident.
In 1990 I received an invitation from the Lord Provost and Glasgow Council to attend a Civic Dinner in the City Chambers for the "Sussex Association", during which the Strathclyde Fire Master quoted, verbatim, from the Confidential Fire Report of October 1940 concerning the "Sussex" fire. Perhaps, after all this time, that report might still be available, which would further add to the story, as I am sure that after all these years my memory can only provide a part of the story.